With the Nokia X2, Microsoft just launched its first Android phone

Nokia has pulled the wrappers off the second generation model in its X series of Android phones – and unsurprisingly it’s called the Nokia X2. And yep, with Nokia now owned by Microsoft, it's actually an Android phone from the people who are trying to establish Windows Phone as an alternative to, er, Android and iOS. Hmm.

The X2 bears a strong resemblance to its forerunner but sports a slightly larger 4.3in screen (the X’s was 4in) and, perhaps more importantly, runs on a newer version of Android (4.3 Jelly Bean).

Android x Windows Phone

The UI remains a slightly unnerving mash-up of Windows Phone and Android, and comes with a number of Nokia and Microsoft-made apps like HERE Maps, MixRadio, Skype, OneNote and OneDrive (the latter of which includes 15GB of cloud storage) – but under the skin it’s Android, and compatible with most Android apps.

On the spec front, there’s a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear camera with LED flash, front-facing camera and, interestingly, dual SIM slots. There’s only 4GB of built-in storage, but you can expand that by a further 32GB thanks to the MicroSD slot. The screen has a resolution of 800 x 480.

While that isn’t going to blow anyone away on paper, for the asking price of €99 (£80) it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t sound like a corker of a deal. The Nokia X2 is out right now in five glossy finishes.